Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 60

Time flew by, and in a few short days, Jiang Rui hurriedly carved a Guanyin jade pendant, inscribing it with several spiritual arrays. These arrays were designed to absorb negative energy and attract fortune, serving as a protective ward to ensure Jiang Jianlin’s family remained safe from calamity.

As he finished the carving, Jiang Rui thought of the Phoenix Bracelets he had given to his aunt’s twin daughters. In his past life, the two girls were kidnapped when they were around eight or nine years old. Even now, Jiang Rui felt as though he was overlooking a crucial detail.

The twins were fated to face a catastrophe. While the Phoenix Bracelets were primary defensive items, he had specifically modified them so that any damage taken would be distributed equally between the two. In his previous life, the younger twin, Tongtong, suffered severe mental trauma and blindness, living the rest of her days in shadows as a psychiatric patient. He vividly remembered the older twin, Xiaoxiao, looking at him with eyes that wanted to devour him whole when they met years later.

Jiang Rui took a deep, hot breath, his sinuses stinging with emotion. Having spent so much time with the twins in this life, he loved them as much as their own father did. He could not accept the possibility of Tongtong being hurt again.

Jiang Jianlin’s birthday fell on the Dragon Boat Festival, so the entire extended family was invited. The turnout was as large as the one for baby Yuanyuan’s first-month celebration, but this time, it was almost entirely kin.

Jiang Rui arrived with a rare sense of joy. Whether it was because Jiang Jianlin had spent time in a spiritual space or simply fell in love with traditional elements, the decorations were overwhelmingly red. It was festive, but the “elderly” style made Jiang Rui shake his head with a smile.

Acting on behalf of his parents, Jiang Rui presented the jade pendant and strictly instructed Jiang Jianlin to place it in the center of the living room. He watched with satisfaction as his uncle solemnly accepted it.

At the children’s table, Jiang Min was teasing the twins. Tongtong, the livelier of the two, was giggling and chasing Jiang Min around. Nearby, Zhou Yongping held little Yuanyuan, glancing over at the kids while chatting with his wife. Jiang Rui smiled at the scene.

This was what he had sought through two lifetimes: stability, peace, and family harmony. Such simple dreams for others had been so difficult for him to achieve.

In this life, he hadn’t been kicked out for being gay; he hadn’t been framed for kidnapping his nieces; he hadn’t watched his family disintegrate due to his uncle’s failures; and most importantly, Jiang Xi hadn’t died for him.

Wait, where is Jiang Xi?

Jiang Rui snapped out of his reverie. He didn’t see Jiang Xi anywhere, nor was Huang Wenhua (his other aunt by marriage) seated next to Jiang Jianheng. His uncle Jianheng looked restless, shifting in his seat.

Finally unable to sit still, Jiang Jianheng whispered something to the host, Jiang Jianlin, who nodded in shock. Jianheng then took off at a run.

Jiang Rui frowned. Was something wrong with Huang Wenhua, or had their household suffered a crisis? He decided to investigate after the party.

His aunt He Fumei and her husband Zhou Yongping walked over. Yuanyuan, seeing Jiang Rui, let out an excited babble and reached out for a hug. Jiang Rui took the chubby baby into his arms, and the twins immediately swarmed him, poking Yuanyuan’s round cheeks.

“Honestly, am I a failure as a father?” Zhou Yongping sighed as his kids ignored him in favor of Jiang Rui. He had asked the twins why they liked being near their cousin so much, and they simply said they felt “comfortable.”

Jiang Rui understood why. Children under ten have unstable souls and are prone to seeing “unclean” things. As a cultivator with a Fire Spiritual Root, he was a natural bane to dark spirits. His presence provided a warmth that settled their spirits.

Once Yuanyuan fell asleep, Jiang Rui handed him back to Zhou Yongping. Well, this uncle-in-law is barely passing the “qualified” mark, he thought playfully.

He then pulled out a jade pendant for Jiang Min—a Guanyin carving designed to clear the mind. “Min-min, you have a talent for computers, but remember: use it for the right path.” In his past life, hackers who touched national secrets often met a firing squad. Jiang Min nodded solemnly, etching the warning into his heart.

Jiang Jianheng arrived at the hospital, and Jiang Rui followed closely behind using an invisibility spell. They reached a ward on the second floor. Since it wasn’t the pediatric wing, the patient was clearly Huang Wenhua.

Jiang Jianheng entered the room. It was a double ward, but the other bed was empty. He walked over to his wife, who was sitting up in bed, and looked at their daughter, Jiang Xi, who was asleep on a chair.

“Xi-xi is asleep?” he whispered. Huang Wenhua nodded.

Jiang Rui noticed that Huang Wenhua’s lower body was immobile; it seemed she had undergone surgery for varicose veins. Jiang Jianheng carefully moved his daughter to a small cot and covered her with a blanket before returning to his wife’s side.

“Xi-xi is a good child,” Jianheng said. The atmosphere was heavy. Since Huang Wenhua lost her teaching job, her status at home had plummeted. Her husband’s career had taken off, and he no longer tolerated her domineering “teacher attitude” at home.

Huang Wenhua was sterile—a fact they had discovered years ago. They had found the abandoned Jiang Xi by the side of the road and adopted her. Because she wasn’t biological, Huang Wenhua had never been particularly warm to her, yet the girl was incredibly obedient.

In Jiang Rui’s eyes, Huang Wenhua was fated to be childless and lonely. Her “Stony Woman” fate (infertility) was so strong it could have dragged her husband down as well if not for Jianheng’s own resilient constitution.

“We can’t have our own children…” Jiang Jianheng said softly.

Huang Wenhua went silent. In their social circle, a woman who couldn’t give her husband a child was often seen as a failure. Now that she was jobless and hospitalized, her husband’s unwavering care—bringing her meals and keeping her company—touched her. And the daughter who wasn’t hers by blood had been the one tirelessly cleaning her bedpans and caring for her every day.

“One can see a person’s character from childhood,” Huang Wenhua whispered, finally moved by the girl’s devotion.

From his hiding spot, Jiang Rui saw the door to the cot area open just a crack. He sighed.

Jiang Xi was a brilliant, sensitive child. In his past life, she had learned to read her parents’ moods far too early. It was a cruel necessity for a child under ten.

Jiang Rui stepped into the small partitioned area and revealed himself. Jiang Xi looked up at him with wide, tearful eyes. She crawled into his arms, clutching the hem of his shirt.

“If I’m a little more obedient, Mommy will love me, right, Brother?” she whispered.

Jiang Rui stroked her hair gently. “Yes. Mommy loved Xi-xi all along.”

Jiang Xi smiled, but the tears wouldn’t stop falling from the corners of her eyes.